5 Ways To Watch MotorTrend Without A Cable Subscription

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By Daniel Trock/June 10, 2023 10:00 am EST

Compared to things like sports and dramas, there's a lot less on TV for the seasoned automotive enthusiast. Luckily, you can get all the engine-revving fun you want from MotorTrend — formerly known as "Velocity" during its initial automotive run in 2011, before being rebranded in 2018 as part of a greater push of the MotorTrend magazine. Whether it's car repair series like "Rust Valley Restorers" and "Car Fix," or high-speed test drives like "Faster with Finnegan," if you want to see cars (and, at some point, cars going fast), MotorTrend is the network for you.

MotorTrend is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, specifically in its sports group, and is available to watch in most cable packages. The bad news is that as more people cut the cord and cable becomes less convenient to use, it's becoming more difficult to watch MotorTrend in that way. The good news is that, thanks to numerous partnerships with various online platforms, it's more than possible to watch MotorTrend without a cable subscription, and may even be preferable.

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If you're looking for a combination of both on-demand and live-streaming MotorTrend content, Sling TV is one of your best options. MotorTrend is included in Sling TV's $40 per month Orange package, which also includes interest-focused programming like ESPN, The History Channel, and the Travel Channel.

If you want a little more entertainment to choose from in addition to MotorTrend, you can also try Sling's Orange & Blue combo package for $55 a month. This package includes all 43 channels in Sling's lineup, plus 50 hours of DVR, and simultaneous streaming on up to three devices. With the addition of the channels from the Blue package, you get more hobby channels like Fox Sports 1, The Discovery Channel, and National Geographic. 

Sling TV's live and on-demand offerings can both be enjoyed on your PC and mobile devices, Xbox game consoles, and most streaming players like Apple TV and Chromecast.

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If you're looking to get a sizable stable of live channels in addition to your motorized entertainment on MotorTrend, you may be interested in a FuboTV subscription. MotorTrend's live channel is included in FuboTV's base-level Pro plan, which costs $74.99 a month. Besides MotorTrend, you get a whopping 156 other channels, running the gamut of series and interests from family-friendly entertainment on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, to local news affiliates from the major news networks like Fox and ABC.

If you're looking to branch out even further, you could try FuboTV's Elite plan for $84.99 a month, which adds extra channels like the Game Show Network and MTV Classic, as well as a special package of world news channels. At the height of FuboTV's offerings is its Premier plan for $94.99 a month, which adds a full array of Showtime channels for premium-level entertainment. 

For additional fees, you can also add up to 1,000 hours of DVR space and up to 10 simultaneous screens in your home. FuboTV can be watched on your PC, Xbox game console, and most streaming players like Roku and Fire Stick.

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People have been doing weird and fascinating things with automobiles on YouTube since the video platform was founded, so of course, YouTube TV knows to appeal to its car-loving audience. If you want to watch MotorTrend live, you can do so with a YouTube TV account.

YouTube TV maintains a catalog of over 100 live channels, one of which is MotorTrend, allowing you to enjoy a regular schedule of its vehicular stylings at all hours of the day. YouTube TV only has one basic plan, which costs $72.99 a month. For that monthly price tag, you get access to the service's 100+ English channels, including the Travel Channel and BBC America if you're looking for some "Top Gear" action, as well as unlimited DVR space and three simultaneous streams across up to six household accounts. 

YouTube TV can be watched on both PlayStation and Xbox game consoles, as well as PCs, mobile devices, and streaming players like Roku and Fire Sticks.

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While the sight of DirecTV may imply the necessity of a cable package, that's not all it offers anymore. DirecTV Stream is a standalone service for watching live and on-demand entertainment on your favorite internet-connected devices, no satellite dishes required. 

If you're on the hunt for MotorTrend, you can get access to it through DirecTV Stream's basic Entertainment package, which costs $74.99 a month. For that price, you get access to over 75 mainstay cable channels like ESPN, Comedy Central, and TLC, plus unlimited DVR and simultaneous household streams.

For bigger and better deals, you can upgrade to the sports-focused Choice package for $99.99 a month, cranking the channel count up to over 105, and getting you your favorite regional sports networks. For $109.99 a month, you can take it to the top with the Ultimate package, which includes everything from the other packages, plus an extra 35 channels like Discovery Life and Destination America. 

DirecTV Stream can be viewed on most desktop and mobile internet browsers, streaming players like Chromecasts and Fire Sticks, and of course, DirecTV-branded streaming devices.

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For a fairly simple and accessible streaming experience that also happens to include MotorTrend, one of the clear-cut choices is Vidgo, which boasts both an extensive library of live channels and a library of on-demand shows and movies on loan from the Roku Channel. 

If all you care about is MotorTrend, you can get the live MotorTrend channel as part of Vidgo's basic Plus plan, which costs $69.99 a month. Besides MotorTrend, you get access to over 110 live channels like Bloomberg TV, Comedy Central, and the Cowboy Channel, as well as access to the on-demand library.

For additional features, you can get the Premium plan at $84.99 a month, which provides over 150 English-language channels, as well as unlimited DVR. If you're looking for sports, this package provides just about every sports channel you can think of. At the height of Vidgo's offerings is the Ultimate plan for $99.99 a month, which adds their repertoire of Spanish-language channels to the English channels. 

Vidgo can be watched on PCs, mobile devices, and Roku and Fire TV streaming players.